Tag: humorous picture book

cover of Charts for Babies with a pie chart for "what to do with this book"
Posted in PB, Read-aloud, So Many Good Books

Charts for Babies

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Charts for Babies (Abrams Appleseed, 2026) Michelle Rial is so darn cute. And will especially appeal to any nerdy parent, grandparent, or aunt or uncle. As you can tell from the cover, the book includes humor.

But, make no mistake–this books IS for kids. It shares concepts such as big/small, flat/curvy, behind/ahead/between and much more, in rhyme. Not only is it a fun read-aloud, but the book will grow with the kids as they can return to it for more complex ideas such as types of charts.

This is Michelle’s debut picture book. Read about the author/illustrator here. She has also written a book for adults. If you like, read an interview with Michelle about Charts for Babies.

cover of The Underwearwolf - dark background with orange lettering for UNDERWEAR and yellow for WOLF with a spotlighted wolf in underwear. kids toys on the floor.
Posted in PB, Read-aloud, So Many Good Books

The Underwearwolf

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Okay, this one, The Underwearwolf (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026) by Gideon Sterer and illustrated by Charles Santoso, grabbed me by the title and didn’t let go. If you like humor in books such as Creepy Carrots, then you’ll like this laugh-out-loud one.

The main character’s uncle Larry sends this note along with a gift, “I know you appreciate underwear; so I sent you the coolest ones I could find.” The kid has lots of underwear but these are “Different. Strange. Wool?” There’s fine print “DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE OR FOR ANY REASON WEAR THESE UNDERWEAR DURING THE FULL MOON.” Does our character listen? Of course not.

Hilarity ensues. Kids will be repeating phrases from this book.

I hadn’t read this bestselling author before, but now want to read his others. Read about Gideon here and check out his books here and here.

I’ve featured another book by the illustrator, this way, Charlie, which has a completely different tone. Read about Charles here and see some of his art here.

Note: I received a review copy of this book from Simon and Schuster. However, I only recommend books I like.

Cover of Courage Hats - Two characters looking out a train window, a child in a paperbag bear hat, and a bear in a paperbag human hat.
Posted in PB, So Many Good Books

Courage Hats

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Courage Hats (Chronicle Books, 2022) by Kate Hoefler and illustrated by Jessixa Bagley is a fun read about courage and making friends.

Some don’t like train travel…
Mae is afraid because “the train went deep into bear places.”
Bear is afraid because “the train went deep into people places.”
They both create courage hats to wear. Guess where they each end up sitting?

I love the innocence of each character. And especially the phrase “…when you take your hat off, someone else will, too.”

Read about the author here and check out her books here. Kate’s newest book is The Couch in the Yard.

Jessixa is an author and an illustrator. Read about her here, see her books here, and illustration samples here.

cover of At Night, they Danced - boy dancing with Mom and girl dancing with Dad (black family)
Posted in PB, So Many Good Books

At Night, They Danced

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

At Night, They Danced (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025) by Victoria Scott-Miller and illustrated by Toni D. Chambers is a sweet story with a touch of humor. It reminded me of how our children practically pushed us out the door when we had a babysitter.

Date night for their parents makes for a fun night for the kids. Langston and Emerson look forward to helping their parents get ready and their favorite babysitter arriving. Then there’s cheese pizza, popcorn, and fruit leather. No bedtime and pillow fights, and even jumping on the couch. But tonight, their parents are staying home. Has a monster disaster happened? Emerson and Langston come up with a master plan–their parents must go out.

Read about the author here. She also has another book out: Miss Edmonia’s Class of Wildfires.

cover of picture book, "Because of You, I'm a Sister"
Posted in PB, So Many Good Books

Because of You, I’m a Sister

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Because of You, I’m a Sister (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2026) by Jen Fier Jasinski and illustrated by Lisa Chow is a delight. The story is full of humor and heart and is told from the point of view of the big sister. I wish I’d had it when my girls were little as it definitely captures the relationship between close siblings.

Read about Jen here and see all her books here. She also offers critiques. And she is a thoughtful critiquer–I met her at the 2026 Big Sur Children’s Workshop–as well as a nice lady.

See Lisa’s illustrations here, her books here, and read about her here.